Question

2. Read all four quotes. Answer the question

The statements below are from the 1776 Virginia Declaration of Rights

1) That in all capital or criminal prosecutions a man bath a right to demand

evidence in his favor, and to a speedy trial by an impartial jury...

2) That the legislative, executive, and judiciary department shall be separate

and distinct.

3) That the freedom of the press is one of the great bulwarks of liberty, and

can never be restrained...

4) That a well regulated militia, composed of the body of the people, trained

to arms is the proper, natural, and safe defense of a free state

Source: PaMic Domain US National Archives and Records Administration

Which statement reflects the Enlightenment ideas of government as expressed by Montesquieu?

Choose an answer and explain why you chose that answer. Using complete

sentences.

Answer 1

The correct answer is number 2) That the legislative, executive, and judiciary departments shall be separate and distinct.

The statement reflects the Enlightenment ideas of government as expressed by Montesquieu is the following: "That the legislative, executive, and judiciary department shall be separate and distinct."

During the Enlightenment, different thinkers and philosophers developed new and interesting concepts about government.

That was the case of Baron of Montesquiou, who established that the legislative, executive, and judiciary departments shall be separate and distinct in order to function well. This concept influenced the founding fathers of the United States when they decided about the new form of government that the US needed. That was part of the debates between Federalists and Antifederalists.

Other prominent thinkers and philosophers during the Enlightenment period were Voltaire, Jean-Jaques Rousseau, ThomasHobbes, and John Locke.